One dim spot in the constellation of 4th Internationals is this, 
https://iclfi.org/pubs/wv/1183/luigi, which apparently was published without 
consulting their founder's work: In “Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism," 
Trotsky wrote 

"In our eyes, individual terror is inadmissible precisely because it belittles 
the role of the masses in their own consciousness, reconciles them to their 
powerlessness, and turns their eyes and hopes towards a great avenger and 
liberator who some day will come and accomplish his mission. The anarchist 
prophets of the ‘propaganda of the deed’ can argue all they want about the 
elevating and stimulating influence of terrorist acts on the masses. 
Theoretical considerations and political experience prove otherwise. The more 
‘effective’ the terrorist acts, the greater their impact, the more they reduce 
the interest of the masses in self-organisation and self-education. But the 
smoke from the confusion clears away, the panic disappears, the successor of 
the murdered minister makes his appearance, life again settles into the old 
rut, the wheel of capitalist exploitation turns as before; only the police 
repression grows more savage and brazen. And as a result, in place of the 
kindled hopes and artificially aroused excitement comes disillusionment and 
apathy.

The "Free Luigi" poster has popped up on at least one Marxist facebook page.  
What makes its reproduction particularly stupid it that it gives Facebook a 
reason to ban the page. Facebook/Meta chairman and CEO has recently contributed 
$1M to Trump's campaign. The current arc of US history is bending towards 
authoritarianism. It would be ironic if a poster from a "Trotskyist" 
organization got a group banned from Facebook as a result of disregarding 
Trotsky.

Mark

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group.
View/Reply Online (#34136): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/34136
Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/110146372/21656
-=-=-
POSTING RULES & NOTES
#1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
#2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived.
#3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern.
#4 Do not exceed five posts a day.
-=-=-
Group Owner: [email protected]
Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy 
[[email protected]]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


Reply via email to